So...Circumstances *might* fall our way where we actually put the old girl on the market. Of course, with such high mileage, I know we won't be able to get too much for the Maxima. But, I thought I'd get an opinion of what might be reasonable price to hold-out for.

The specifics...
2001 Maxima SE 5-speed
375k+ miles
No mods (except for a FSTB)
• New radiator
• New steering rack
• New front struts
• Will have a new clutch when we get around to selling it (or should we make that a bargaining option?)

Car still drives and rides great. As it should with a new steering rack
We have the eternal CEL for the 0420 code. We've had it practically since the car was new and it's never affected performance. We also have an occasional ABS light. It comes and goes. Braking seems to be just fine.

The old girl uses a bit of oil, but it's not drastic. Maybe a half quart every 4 weeks? Considering my wife puts over 100 miles a day on it commuting, I don't think that's too bad.

Other than that, it's all good. Sunroof works. Windows work. The interior is still pretty solid, except for the shift boot. It's looking pretty rough. The car has never been smoked in, nor been in a serious accident. It had the front-left quarter panel replaced after a hit-n-run creased it. There's a bit of rust starting around the rear wheel wells, but nothing breaking through yet. Tires have tons of tread left. It's always been garaged, and gotten regular oil changes.

So...What might a reasonable price be?

FWIW, back in 2001, when we got her, we sold our previous 1991 Maxima SE (which had 314k miles on it) for $1000.

 

375K Miles, accident repair, CEL and oil burning? I'm going to say $2000.

Simply reading your post, I'm thinking this car is worth more to you in ways that no realistic asking price can make up for.

http://www.edmunds.com/
http://www.autotrader.com/
http://www.kbb.com/

 

It's been a good car. We drive all our cars as far as we can, so there's bound to be some attachment, to be sure.

 

375k miles!!!! WOW!!! I dont know how much you should sell it for...did you try looking it up on Kelly Blue Book website? I don't think you will have a problem selling it, especially to some members here...someone will probably use it as a project car and take the engine out and rebuild it or something.

 

Yeah I would definitely post it on the org to see if someone would want to buy it here.
I have never heard of a VQ do 375k+, thats amazing. I currently have 135k and i will be so happy if she makes it to 300k. (Freshman in college now and at least wanting the max to last till after i graduate).

 

Personally at the point at you are with the car, I would drive it until it dies or starts giving you more problems than it is worth.

To me, there are two thoughts that come to mind with a car that has 375k on it:

1. Wow, I would never buy a car with that mileage (and then)

2. Someone that got 375k out of a car must have really taken care of it, and it is probably in better shape than many cars with 150k

Either way, I think $2000 is a fair price as well.

 

+1

 

We really just replaced things when they broke/wore out, and kept the oil changed. This year has been the most expensive, repair-wise, in a long time, with both the steering rack and the front struts.

 

LOL.....you mean kept pouring oil in.....our Maximas keep eating oil so much almost no reason to change oil other than the oil filter being due for a change.

 

While that may be true for you, that's a gross exaggeration for the majority of 5.5 gens. Just saying.

 

As I said above, it uses some oil, but not a huge amount. When you consider my wife puts, roughly, 120 miles a day on the car, six days a week, having to add about a half-quart every four weeks or so isn't bad at all.

 

No no...it was just a joke guys. Don't take it that serious. Sorry.

 

I don't think it's a matter of price at this point. It's finding someone that is willing to buy a car with that many miles even if it is in really good shape. When I am searching craigslist for cars I generally steer clear of any listing that has excessive miles for it's year. I think your best bet would be to part it out since it sounds like you've got a lot of new parts on there. It might be more profitable and will most likely be quicker. Just my two cents, good luck with sale either way!

 

WOW. I agree with all the people who are saying drive it until it dies. I have a 2k gle with 135k, which is literally in showroom condition inside an out and I only paid 2500. Now granted, I got an amazing deal from someone who didn't know how reliable these cars were, but I would say a reasonable price would be maybe $800+- I would run her till she dies.

 

Well, the old girl is going to go on the block, as soon as I can take some new pictures. We took our last ride in her yesterday down to Indy and back. Strong as ever. But, it's just time to move on, especially with the cost of a new clutch hanging over it.

I hope to have it posted in the For Sale forum as soon as possible.

 

why not just trade it in?

 

^^^ Agreed...take it to carmax and at least see what they would offer you for it. You don't have to make any decisions and it would give you an idea of what to ask for for it.

 

Trading a car in means you're going to make no effort to get top dollar, thus will settle for the bottom of the barrel. Always attempt to sell before giving your car to someone that doesn't care.

 

That's a valid opinion. However, another equally valid perspective is that some people place greater value on avoiding hassle than they do the effort involved to sell a car. I'm not saying they're assessment is balanced, but it's theirs to make.

 

FWIW, I've always sold my used cars, rather than use them in a trade-in, and it's always worked-out cleanly.

 

Post it for $1950 obo. I can't see you having too much trouble getting rid of it.

 

Variable lies in whether or not the family needs this car while a sale is being pursued. If not, no real hassle. If so, maybe a few tiring days.
True story. $1950.00 looks so much more appealing to the untrained buyer's eye than $2000.00 and could spark an easy sale.

 

I wouldnt pay more than $1000 if i was to buy it, but thats just me. dont take it as an insult.

 

if you need the money that badly then yeah id say 2k would be fair, expect hardly anyone to contact you on it, or if they do youll get lowballs...

that said though i would honestly just hang on to it unless you really need that money...youve got your moneys worth out of the car, and clearly it will keep going....i would make every effort to keep it, then either part it out or scrap it when maintenance starts to either nickle and dime you or something over 1k happens.

 

Not an insult at all. We've certainly gotten our money's worth out of the old girl and, while we have put some cash back into it recently, we know we can't get it back out.

A grand would be as low as I'd go, but it's not an insulting price. Especially since the buyer will have to drop around $800 for a new clutch.

 

Have you replaced the clutch before? If so, how many miles did you get out it?

 

+1

In all seriousness, I'd say try getting $2,000 out of her. If you don't find a buyer, part it out. I'd give you $200-300 for the 00VI. That's around a 10th of a $2,000 sell price and only 1 part. I'm sure tons of other members would need something else off of it. You'd get probably a lot more then it would be worth selling as a whole car.

As a side note to parting it out, You'd also have the feeling that your "old girl" is living on by helping many other maxima's go faster/stay on the road longer.

 

+1 for part out.

 

Unfortunately, I don't have the spare garage space to do a part-out, and the neighborhood association does not look kindly upon cars being skeletonized in driveways. And, my recent back surgery forbids me from crawling around, under and in the car to get at parts.

Anyway, the Maxima just might have a second life now. We're looking at selling-off our son's '97 Jetta beater, taking what cash we can get on that and putting it toward clutch work in the Maxima, and letting him drive the Maxima until it drops.

 

Like nothing...375k is raped.

 

If your Maxima has 375k miles, in what condition is your son's "beater"...?

 

375K miles is a lot.. But you guys have to remember it's a VQ30. From the sounds of it, 99% of the mileage is highway. Meaning this engine is still in pretty good shape and will more in likely run another 50k if not 100k. Seems like he takes really good care of it, changes oil frequently and repairs what's needed.

You can pick up an engine rebuild kit for the VQ30 for less then $500. Tear the thing down and rebuild it. You'll get at least another 150k - 200k if it's rebuilt properly.

Speaking of which, I wonder what the record is for most miles on a Maxima. You might be close to some kind of record.

 

Don't bother trading it in, you wouldnt get much for it. $2,000 to start is reasonable and then work your way with the low ballers lol =p

 

Wow, a few of my posts joking about how the OP calls his car "the old girl" actually got deleted? wtf?

in any event, I would ride the old girl as long as you can since you have already put so much mileage on her old bony frame...